Entertainment

Dear Santa, I don’t know how it happened, but every December, I watch “Elf.” I know, it’s not “A Christmas Story” or “Miracle on 34th St” or a true masterpiece like “Ernest Saves Christmas,” but there’s something about the story of Buddy the Elf that has me watching every year. It wasn’t always like this, as the 2003 Will Ferrell …

The final weekend is upon us for the Maui Academy of Performing Arts production of Tennessee Williams’ “The Glass Menagerie.” This extraordinary production, with its four exceptional lead performances, stylish art direction and sensitive but potent direction by Sally Sefton, only has a few showings left. I was grateful to catch it, as it provided me an opportunity to experience …

The introductory scenes of “Interstellar” are a series of rich, initially disconnected images that set the framework for an enormous, ever-growing narrative. We see a vast field stretch across a farm land, an aircraft in a tailspin and a pilot named Cooper, played by Matthew McConaughey, waking from a nightmare and comforted by his daughter, Murphy (played by Mackenzie Foy). …

Tennessee Williams” “The Glass Menagerie” has always been a masterpiece of twentieth century drama, a compassionate, emotionally probing exploration of human sadness, longing and love. The empathy Williams felt towards his characters (who famously were representations of his own upbringing) comes across in the performances and direction in the new Maui Academy of Performing Arts production, playing now through November …

A few photos have been coming into the MW Command Center regarding a possible visit from the infamous Kim Karsahsian and Kanye West. According to to E!Online, Kanye treated his new wife to a “fabulous vacation in paradise”. That’s right, E! News has learned the fashionable couple is enjoying part of their week in Hawaii. Kanye woke a “surprised” Kim …

Compassion isn’t a quality one instantly associates with the works of Tennesee Williams. Most of his plays famously come with attractive casts, sporting juicy Southern accents, feigning the sweat of a long hot summer, pushing against moral constraints and fiercely expressing their barely contained frustrations and lust. If there exists of a trilogy of essential Williams plays, its unquestionably “Cat …

Arguably the biggest movie curiosity of 2014 has arrived and surprisingly hasn’t gone straight to video. Based on how it plays, it could have premiered on the SYFY Channel, in between airings of “Sharktopus” and “Sharknado 2: The Second One.” The irresistible pairing of Oscar winner Nicolas Cage and a faith based film company has resulted in a remake of …

Here’s a remake that truly wasn’t just a re-hash of the original and matches the deep-seeded paranoia and creepiness of its predecessor. It’s also every bit as forced as most remakes and stands meekly in the large shadow cast by the first film bearing the title. The 1962 “Manchurian Candidate” firmly remains a classic American film, depicting our fears of …

The Maui OnStage production of “Wait Until Dark” at the historic Iao Theater is directed by Dale Button, who was in the midst of a tech rehearsals when I met him and his cast. It was amusing to witness firsthand the cheerful camaraderie in view. The play is intense and blood curdling but the actors were all cheerful and chummy, …

During a pivotal sequence in the Dale Button directed production of “Wait Until Dark,” the characters and the audience are immersed in total darkness. It’s so dark, I couldn’t see my hand in front of me, and only the EXIT sign to my far left and some glowing stage tape gave me any sense of geography. While this passage of …